CLI versus API

While the “We don’t need no CLI” or “CLI hinders the innovation” or “SDN will get rid of CLI” stupidities keep erupting on various social media, you might enjoy an antidote of past ipSpace.net blog posts.

The Basics

• CLI and API Myths (2013)
• What Is This API Thingy? (2014)
• API Does Not SDN Make (2016)
• Network Automation RFP Requirements (2016)
• To API or Not To API (2016)

CLI-or-API Dilemma

• Is CLI In My Way … or Is It Just a Symptom of a Bigger Problem? (2014)
• CLI or API? Wait … Do You Really Have to Ask? (2014)
• We Have to Get Away from the Box-Focused Mentality (2015)
• CLI or API… Again (and Again and Again…) (2017)
• It’s Bash Scripts All the Way Down (more on CLI versus API) (2017)
• Don't Get Obsessed with REST API (2018)

CLI Challenges

• Why It's Hard to Deploy SDN-Like Functionality Today (2015)
• Let’s Drop Some Random Commands, Shall We? (2017)
• Follow-up: Nexus-OS Dropping Configuration Commands (2017)
• Not So Fast Ansible, Cisco IOS Can’t Keep Up… (2019)

API Challenges

• REST API Is Not Transactional (2019)
• Making Cisco ACI REST API Transactional (2019)
• Can We Make REST API Transactional Across Multiple Calls? (2019)

API Use Cases

• Read Network Device Information with REST API and Store It Into a Database (2019)
• NetDevOps Automation with REST API (2020)

Real-Life Considerations

• Getting Comfortable with the Command Line (2023)
• Is Controller-Based Networking More Reliable than Traditional Networking? (2015)
• Big Red Button for Network Automation (2018)
• Found on the Web: Your CLI Should Be a Server (2018)
• Layers of Single-Pane-of-Glass Abstractions Won’t Solve Your Problems (2018)
• Stop the Low-Level Configuration Manipulation (2019)
• Stop Using GUI to Configure SDN or Intent-Based Products (2019)

Meanwhile on Planet Earth

• Anti-Automation from the Antimatter Universe (2018)
• Fat Fingers Strike Again… (2018)
• Why Is Every SDN Vendor Bashing the Networking Engineers? (2016)
• Why Is Network Automation such a Hot Topic? (2018)
• Network Automation and Hammer of Thor (2020)
• Musing on Nerd Knobs (2015)
• Cumulus Linux NVUE: an Incomplete Data Model (2022)
• Linux Networking Data Plane Configuration (2022)
• Remember: Don’t Panic (2019)

Finally

• History of Cisco IOS CLI (2019)